Occupied

The spring of this year was rainy.

Xia Yuechun sat in his dean's office and poured himself a cup of coffee. Because of the shortage of supplies after the war, even the coffee he used to drink was out of stock, so he had to replace it with the next level. The strong astringent taste in his mouth made him frown.

This year was 1946, the first spring after the end of the long Anti-Japanese War.

"Dean Xia, I've already delivered the things."

Seeing that the door was not closed, Liu Ahsi knocked and came in. He had just helped Yuechun deliver a secret document.

"Si, do you want to drink?"

Yuechun shook the cup, the aroma of the freshly brewed coffee overflowed, but Ah Si was indifferent and frowned.

"No... no."

He can't drink this kind of foreign food. In fact, he rarely even drinks tea.It was still a little cold in early spring, and the passing wind came in through the open door. Xia Yuechun sneezed, and hurried to get the coat hanging on the back of the chair to wear.

Liu Ah Si silently walked towards the door, reaching out to close the door.

"What's the matter? I asked you to drink coffee, not dichlorvos. What's your expression?"

"I'm not used to drinking..."

Is the bitter taste really so delicious?Ah Si doesn't understand the taste of these overseas young masters, Yue Chun said that he can add sugar if he is afraid of bitterness, but he really doesn't understand why he wants to drink this bitter thing if he adds sugar.

In my impression, the sugar water I drank when I was a child tasted much better than this.

Ah Si gently closed the door, turned and returned to the desk.

"By the way, I have a question."

Xia Yuechun put down his cup and looked at Liu Ah Si who looked confused.

"what?"

"Why are you called Liu Ah Si?"

In this day and age, the word Ah is very popular in Shanghai. No matter men or women, young or old, everyone likes to call it Ah.

If it is a single name, the nickname must be called Ajia single name.

Before Liu Ahsi could answer, Xia Yuechun took the lead in explaining his name, "Yuechun means the fish jumping over the dragon's gate, rejuvenating with a wonderful hand. My grandfather was a medical practitioner, so he gave me this name."

"Oh..." Ah Si responded, so it didn't mean to jump over the spring. His name was indeed not as meaningful as that of Dean Xia. What was the reason? In fact, he hadn't considered this issue.

"What about you? Couldn't it be because you are the fourth child in the family?"

Seeing that Ah Si hadn't answered for a long time, Yue Chun guessed and asked.

Ah Si hadn't thought about his own affairs for too many years, and some of the past vaguely appeared in his mind.

"Yes."

He nodded, that's really it, it doesn't mean anything, he is the fourth child in the family.

"Really?"

"kindness."

Xia Yuechun hadn't asked about Liu Ahsi's life experience carefully, there were too many things about this person that he couldn't see through.

For example, what did he do before he followed Han Zhengqi, where did he make a living before that, and why he didn't seem to care about the pain.

Xia Yuechun remembered that in the few contacts before, whenever Liu Ahsi was injured, he always acted as if he had nothing to do with him, and he didn't even frown. He always felt inexplicably uncomfortable.

How could anyone not be afraid of pain?No matter how iron-blooded a tough guy is, no matter how strong willpower is, people are still flesh and blood.

How can it be possible to live as if one's own body belongs to others, and one's own life or death does not matter, and one is not responsible for one's own self. Is this treating oneself as a walking dead?

Xia Yuechun shook his head...

Liu Ada, Liu Aer, Liu Asan, Liu Asi, and Liu Xiaomei.

A poor family with five lively children, Liu Ah Si is one of them.

Life is hard, but it can be considered that there is a father who loves and a mother loves, an elder brother who takes care of him, and a younger sister who likes to dance around a few.

All changes start from the struggle between the poor and the rich.

The poor had to sacrifice their lives for the minimum guarantee of living. Their father was helping others in a shop on the street. For some reason, he was wronged by someone who stole the things in the shop, and he was severely injured by his boss and lay at home. .

He saw his mother weeping, and his younger sister wept for no reason. The eldest and second brothers, who were a few years older than him, began to bear the burden of the family.

14-year-old Liu Ada took 12-year-old Liu Aer out to cut firewood, and then there was a strong wind and thunderstorm that night, and they did not come back.

He saw how his brothers were alive and kicking when they went out, but the neighbors sent back their muddy corpses the next day. He couldn't believe that the original family of seven had become so fragmented.

In the end, my father died of vomiting blood because he had no money to treat his injuries, and his condition was aggravated by the death of his two sons.

Liu Ahsi, who was only seven years old at that time, didn't quite understand what this meant. He only knew that when someone died, he would never see him again.

Fortunately, the grandmother next door took good care of them and introduced their mother to do some manual work to make ends meet. Later, she became a mother with two sons and a young daughter to make ends meet.

At this time, Ah Si didn't understand the twists and turns and hardships of life. It wasn't until another accident happened that he seemed to feel a little pain in his heart.

A child's heart is the purest, and he will be self-willed if he refuses to suffer.That day, Ah San, who was ten years old, went out to pick up vegetables, and only Ah Si and the younger sister who was under five were at home.

He mischievously removed his younger sister's shofar braid, which made Liu Xiaomei cry to find her mother.

The mother couldn't see her daughter after returning home, so she was anxious to find her everywhere. Ah Si was slapped for this, which was the only time in my memory that her mother slapped him.

You are a brother, why don't you take good care of your sister!

The mother yelled angrily, and went out in the rain to find her sister.

The next day, it was the first time since Ah Si was born that he was crying loudly. His mother accidentally fell into the river when she saw her sister's dropped shoes and went to pick them up.

And the little sister did fall into the water and drowned before that. The mother's body was brought back in the morning, and the younger sister's body was washed back to the river the next afternoon before being fished out.

Seeing his younger sister's beautiful face and disheveled hair, he couldn't help but think of the lively and lovely little girl with shofar braids on weekdays.

It's all his fault. If he hadn't been naughty and undid his sister's braids, this wouldn't have happened.

There are only four members left in the family, he and Ah San, who is three years older than him.

The two helpless brothers were taken home by their mother's brother and their uncle.

But the uncle's family, which is also poor, is even more difficult than theirs, and sometimes they can't solve the problem.How could the uncle still be related by blood, and how could the aunt tolerate these two wild boys to share the only material resources with her precious lump.

Ah San took the initiative to undertake a lot of heavy work, just to leave a place for herself and her younger brother to rest. Although their life here was not good, it was better than sleeping on the street.

My aunt gave them leftovers every time, or porridge that was as thin as water, but my uncle would still secretly bring them some food at night.

At night, I huddled in a small corner by the kitchen and fell asleep. I just used straw as a bedding, rolled up a bed of old cotton wool, and slept on it.

It's not the first time he asked why he had to commit himself to the fence, even if the two of them went out to wander, they wouldn't be more miserable than they are now.

Ah San just hugged him, saying how about enduring this winter, and when spring came, he would find a way to take him away.

In the severe cold of the twelfth lunar month, there are many beggars who freeze to death on the streets. Although it is not very warm here, there is a place to shelter from rain, snow and wind.

Liu Ahsi's third accident, which he will never forget, happened during that cold New Year. As usual, he helped his uncle's house with work, washing dishes, sweeping the floor, chopping firewood, and adding sun-dried goods.

It was already cold, and with the bowls that had been soaked in cold water for a long time, my hands were red from the cold and I was shivering.

The fingers were so stiff that they couldn't move, and it was very difficult to even bend them. If they couldn't use the strength, they slipped like this, and smashed a bowl that had a gap in it.

The mean aunt often yelled at their brothers and even beat them because of trivial matters. Not to mention breaking a bowl, what's more, it was the end of the year.The Chinese have always been superstitious, and it is a big deal to lose your job at the juncture of the year!

Also let people live!You two little broom stars!

The sharp scolding sound seemed to be echoing in my ears after many years, and every time I thought of it, I felt an inexplicable chill. Even the names they couldn't decide were often insulted and abused.

Ah San Ah Si, neither three nor four, is not a good name at first sight.

No matter how good your temper is, there are times when you can't restrain it, not to mention that even though Ah Si was young back then, he was not the kind of cowardly child.

The firewood or mop broom that was picked up at random may become a tool for beating him. This feeling is already a bit common, and he has learned the most basic patience and suffering.

In fact, he never knew that a woman's hands could be so strong. He watched his father and brothers shoulder the responsibilities since he was a child, and now he understands his doubts and understands that things in the world cannot be generalized.

Maybe it was a big disaster, or maybe she deliberately took the opportunity to retaliate. The severe beating even made him a little overwhelmed. He didn't hide, but the severe pain on his neck made him unable to bear it. I blocked it with my hand.

There was a feeling of dimness in the eyes for a moment, and the feeling of being hit on the body was not so obvious. I didn't eat much for a day, and I worked all day in the cold and hungry. The dimness in the eyes was definitely not from the beating, but from starvation.

Don't hit Ah Si, if you want to hit me, just hit me.

It was Ah San's voice. His little brother, who was three years older than him, had always protected him like that.

Children in the growing period should not be three years younger. At this time, Ah Santou is already much taller than him. The two of them are the closest relatives in the world.My aunt is also a poisonous woman who loves to bully. Seeing that the third child is already about the same height as her, she dare not beat him even if she insults her a lot, and he is obviously at a disadvantage because he is still a child.

Ah San was helping people carry goods in a shop next door. In theory, he was still a child laborer, but he was not short enough to fool his employer to earn a few dollars.

Living under the fence, if you don't take out some money for food, you really don't know if you will be kicked from the thatched shed directly to the road in the middle of the night.

Because Ah Si was still young, he stayed at his uncle's house to help with the work. During the day, his uncle Ah San was not there, and Ah Si's work never stopped from the moment he got up.

He chops the firewood one by one, washes the clothes, washes the dishes, cleans the house, digs wells and fills the water tanks, all of which he must do every day.

The vicious aunt who is like a landlady looks at him all the time, as long as he does something wrong or moves slowly, he will be beaten and scolded.

Once, he clenched his fist and wanted to resist, but the woman squeezed his hand that was going to be raised, and said to him viciously that if you dare to strike, don't even think about eating at night!

He couldn't bear it any longer if he didn't eat, he couldn't bear it anymore, and when he shook his hand, there was a slap.Hearing the woman's wailing and howling, he just wanted to laugh to himself, but was forced to stop laughing by her words, and regret welled up.

You really dare to do something, tonight's meal is not your share!And Liu Asan!

This was the first time Liu Ahsi understood the principle of continuous sitting. He stared blankly at the person in front of him, his eyes blurred.No matter how much he was wronged, he never cried. Ah San was busy outside all day, but because of his own fault, he had no food together.

The beating continued, but it didn't hit him. Ah San hugged his brother's body tightly.

"Auntie, Ah Si is still young, don't beat him!"

"Ask him what he did? It's the end of the year! He smashed people's jobs! Do you want to live!"

Ah San frowned, and looked at the younger brother in her arms. It's the end of the year, and this is something that poor people really care about.

"Oh... oh, I... I'll buy a new one tomorrow, and Ah Si didn't do it on purpose."

"Buy? Can you afford it? There is no taboo if you can buy it with this omen!"

"Then... Broken... Is Sui Sui safe... Can't Auntie explain it differently?"

After all, Ah San has been working outside for some time, and her tone of speech has also learned the smoothness of the outside.

"Still showing off with me, brat, let me tell you, if something happens to our family this year, just wait!"

She didn't continue to fight crazily, but just gave the two brothers a hard look.

It was natural that night, and the two of them had to stay up hungry for another night. It was already very cold, and it was really hard to not even have a sip of hot water.

He was so hungry that he had to scoop up cold water from the water tank to satisfy his hunger. His stomach was full of water, and the two of them curled up in a corner because of the cold.

Looking forward to the rooster crowing in the morning, the uncle who finished work in the middle of the night secretly brought them some millet porridge that was not much stronger than water, but the two brothers were already very satisfied.

Sure enough, this year has not been peaceful. I don't know if it was God's intention, but Ah Si's bowl has come true.

The owner of the house where my uncle was a night worker lost the shop because of a good bet, fired all the workers and owed a monthly salary. This unprecedented news made my aunt frantically use the matter of Ah Si smashing the bowl as an excuse.

Ah Si also sympathized with his poor uncle, who went to the nearby town to find work day and night, and Ah San naturally had to continue to work, or he would not even have such a little living expenses.

Unprecedented storm, this was the heaviest beating Liu Ah Si had ever suffered in their house.

He didn't know how many times he was beaten and how long he was beaten, anyway, when he woke up, he was already lying on the straw in the woodshed by Ah San.

"Si, how's it going?"

I met Ah San's eager eyes, my dear, this is the distressed look of my loved ones.

"It's okay." Ah Si closed his eyes and lay back in his brother's arms, "Third brother, am I a bad boy?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

"Then why did it come true?"

Originally, Ah Si didn't believe in those superstitions, but this time he had to believe it, it came true, it really came true, God is so disinterested in himself.

"That's just a coincidence."

"Third brother, let's go."

"Okay, you just lie down for another two days, and when the injury is no longer painful, we will leave."

Maybe he was just feeling uncomfortable and casually said something coquettish, but this time Ah San actually agreed.

"kindness……"

Nodding her head, as if most of the pain on her body had healed, Ah Si smiled and leaned into Ah San's arms.

But he forgot that there are far more terrifying things in this world than fulfillment, that is, accidents without warning. He has experienced it twice, but the changes in vitality are always uncertain and unknown.

The more undesirable it is, the more it will happen.